0 responses to “There are three major mistakes we make. The first — I’m not trying to be political — but there’s a line that says, “If you’re not a liberal by the time you’re 20, you have no heart; if you’re not a conservative by the time you’re 30, you have no head.” I’m just being personal because I feel it’s so important to highlight this. Having lived in Africa for most of my 20s certainly made me conservative, realizing how wretched human behavior can be through things that are happening all the time that can’t even be mentioned. They’re so sadistic and barbaric, beyond the pale of what any civilized human can imagine.

The second is coming back to America — going back into the land of freedom and plenty. Unfortunately, when I got here, I asked a friend, who is quite brilliant, having noticed that people are living in la-la land, “It’s the greatest bubble that has ever been created. People are completely unaware of what the majority of the world faces on a day-to-day basis, completely unaware of the extraordinary prosperity and good fortune.” Just to give an example: when I was able to drive down the highway for three hours without being worried that I would be hijacked — this is true — I felt like I was in the Garden of Eden. My friend told me, “Prosperity is a drug.”

The third point is that unless we can understand that life is temporary, as far as we know, nobody has escaped death. The mark we leave can only be done through consistent, perpetual, determined, and loving, goodness, as well as creative application of our values. Unfortunately we will not leave a mark.”